The prices of car GPS navigational systems are falling while the quality and number of features keeps on rising. The top maufacturers are in constant competition with each other and that can only be good for the consumer. But the great quantity of units available, even from the same manufacturer makes it difficult to choose the right one. The solution is to take a look at what buyers and users have to say about their equipment.

Here we take a look at the most popular units from the best GPS manufacturers, the Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS Receiver, the Magellan RoadMate 2000 GPS Receiver, the Tomtom GO 910 GPS Receiver and the Lowrance iWAY 250c GPS Receiver.

What are People Saying About the Top GPS from Garmin, Magellan, Tomtom and Lowrance?

There is no better way to decide on a new GPS receiver than to take a look at what people are saying about them. It doesn't take long for themes to develop; when looking at twenty or thirty reviews, the same pros and cons come up again and again.

Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS Receiver

A look at the pros first. Compact size, features and speed of operation come up high on the list. In addition to this, users like the screen readability and the clear and concise voice instructions. Despite the great

general review, the two main things come up when looking at the cons. The first is battery life, most people see this as the main problem, although in reality the battery life is comparable to other products with the same spec. The other main issue is cost, being seen as a little on the expensive side.

Let's take a quick look at the specification of the Garmin 350. It's form factor allows it to be used handheld or fixed. The display is LCD TFT with a resolution of 320x240. Some of the best features include the built-in MP3 play, voice navigation instructions and the trip calculator which provides information on avarage an maximum speeds, and elevation

Connecting to the Garmin 350 is easily achieved using USB or using the SD card expansion slot. GPS acquisition is specified at less than 40 seconds at startup and 1 second when warm. Accuracy is less than 16 feet when in enhanced mode. The battery is lithium and provides for 8 hours of use.

Magellan RoadMate 2000 GPS Receiver

Unlike the Garmin, pros include the cheap price of the Magellan Roadmate 2000. In addition. speed, accuracy and size also come high up the list. The nice touch screen is also a plus. On the negative side, difficulty in navigating the buttons is a big problem. Also the battery life is a constant issue.

The specification of the Magellan unit provides a handheld device with touch screen, incorporating an MP3 player and voice navigation instructions. Battery life is only 3 hours which is probably not enough for users outside their cars.

Tomtom GO 910 GPS Receiver

As with the Magellan, price and value for money are amongst the feedback. Great user interface with very responsive and accurate operation. The touch screen and ease of operation and button navigation are other advantages. As with every design, there are cons. The two which are repeated most often are poor windshield mounting, and buggy software. Customer support im many cases leaves something to be desired.

The specification of the Tomtom 910 dimilarly provides a handheld device with a 64K color touch screen, no MP3 player but incorporates Bluetooth Wireless Technology. Battery life is only 4 hours, but it doesn't feature as a disadvantage in user review.

Lowrance iWAY 250c GPS Receiver

Cost is a big pro for the Lowrance offering. Value for money coming up high on the user's likes list. Convenient operation, ease of use and accuracy were also highlighted. On the negative side, mounting hardware can be difficult to use.

The specification of the Lowrance iWAY 250 unit provides a handheld device with TFT touch screen, incorporating an MP3 player, JPEG picture viewer and voice navigation instructions. It supports all current plug-&-play map/chart options from Lowrance .